The More You Use Facebook, The Less You Care About Privacy: The Social Media Privacy Report

In our bi-weekly social media privacy report we spend a lot of time discussing Facebook privacy and security concerns. Recent posts have included what we considered high priority issues: the network tracking logged out users , new features like the ticker and subscriptions and Facebook content being used for background checks. Yet despite Facebook’s reputation for pushing the envelope in terms of online privacy and security, most users, especially the ones that use the social site on a daily basis, are not worried about privacy.

According to a new poll by USA Today and Gallup in which more than 2,000 adults were surveyed, the more you use Facebook, the less you care about privacy. Just 26% of participants who use Facebook on the day-to-day said they were “very concerned” about privacy, compared with 35% who use the social network only once weekly, and 39% who use Facebook even less frequently.

The survey also found 87% of daily users noticed Facebook’s latest features like the “Timeline” and the “Open Graph.” While only 37% of less frequent users were aware of any changes to the network. Interestingly, of the users who have noticed the new features, 56% said they dislike them vs. 36% who said they like them.

But despite this dislike, there is still a lack of concern about privacy. PCWorld, in their coverage of this poll, made a fascinating remark that Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of open sharing is coming to fruition. Users will want to be open about their lives and put it in the public sphere online and more specifically, on Facebook.

Jillian Ryan is PRIVATE WiFi's Director, Brand Communications and Social Strategy. With a passion for writing, the web, and fast-paced information exchanged via social networks, Jillian is also concerned about the ramifications of putting your life details and personal data into cyberspace. Follow her on Twitter: @Writing_Jillian.